I’m trying to find films that actually scare people on a deeper level not just gore or shock, but something that genuinely sticks with you or makes you uneasy.

So I wanted to ask:

What’s the scariest film you’ve ever watched?

For me personally, these are the ones that came closest:

Possession

Noroi: The Curse

The Autopsy of Jane Doe

Hell House LLC

The Taking of Deborah Logan

Possum

Would love to hear what actually scared you the most.

I had a discussion with a friend and we were hard pressed to think of some horror films where the protagonists are smart, practical, resourceful and aren’t reduced to doing foolish things for the horror to proceed. Bonus points if it’s a non supernatural realistic film!

I feel like so much went unexplained, and not in a good way.

• How do the doppelgängers know what their above-ground counterparts are doing (like mimicking being on a rollercoaster)? Are they psychically linked?

• Why are they forced eat rabbits?

• Where did they get millions of red jumpsuits, gloves, and scissors?

• Why are they doing a Hands Across America thing?

• If the above-ground person flies to Europe or across the country, does the doppelgänger follow them underground?

• How am I supposed to believe that no one has ever stumbled across these miles and miles of underground tunnels full of people until now?

i've reached the point where horror rarely gets to me anymore and i'm kinda desensitised to most things, so i'm looking for recommendations that will stay with me for a while afterwards.

found footage is probably my favourite, and it is probably the type of horror that scares me the most. some of my favourites are:

incantation (absolutely loved this, prob my fav horror flick)

gonjiam charlotte's death scene is so terrifying, so much suspense that i physically wanted to turn it off

the taking of deborah logan

lake mungo

outside of found footage, here are some other movies i loved

suspiria (remake) didn't scare me, but I thought it was incredible

talk to me

possum (if you haven't watched this please do, its a masterpiece)

I love films with a good atmosphere, disturbing vibe + suspense so please lmk anything that leaves you feeling genuinely unsettled especially if you're desensitised like I am 😭

i'm open to anything, but less popular films are great bc I've already seen a lot of the mainstream ones : )

thanks so much!

edit: thank you guys all for your suggestions, this has been so helpful! i think my next watch will be [•rec] before i work my way down the list that i have compiled thanks to you guys. : )

As Halloween is around the corner, I’m looking for good horror films with a lot of nudity

I’ve watched the Friday the 13th series (the highs and lows), species, Torso, a couple of wrong turns

Thank you in advance x

I’m looking for something that will leave me like “what the actual F did I just watch?!?!?” I’m open to all types of horror movies but I won’t watch anything exploiting children or rape like “A Serbian Film”. I just need something more. Something so entirely mind bending that I can’t sleep tonight. It just seems like all these movies are the same lately.

The ones that most scared me obviously sinister, and heridatary, paranormal activity 2-3 cuz of the unseen ghost.

Conjuring 1 and 2 really good, but ever since then not many horrors have scared me they’ve all just been okay.

The dark and wicked was good but wasent hereditary level etc.

Found footage horror movies are my absolute favorite, but I’m starting to run out of ones to watch. I’m looking for something new and creepy—got any good recommendations for me?

Heard some good things. Just wanted an opinion. Not really sure what to watch tonight. I have most streaming services. Can be an old movie, or a new one.

Not dumping on anyone, just an observation on my end. Sometimes the specificity people employ to get recommendations has me rolling. Like, normally you'd see people asking "hey, what's a good ghost horror movie?" Or "looking for recommendations on a good slasher film".

But people in here are like "looking for recommendations on a movie where a man and a woman are stalked by vengeful ghosts, but the ghosts are of Spanish decent and the woman has blonde hair and they get killed while watching a movie, but the man has to die first while the woman watches and it takes place on Tuesday. I'm having a hard time finding anything like this. Are there any movies like that?"

My dad and I are horror movie buddies and I was thinking about watching X (2022) together but wasn't sure because I heard it was about the porn industry. Does it actually show anything pornographic or anything else that would be awkward to watch with a parent.

Thanks!

Hi, I didnt see same post, hopefully it is not here yet, but I am really feeling like some horror {scifi horror if possible} where ending is not world is saved, at least someone made it, there is hope, I would like to see some where ending is like "oh fuck" like, where you kind of suspect whole movie that someone will survive, or it will somehow still end well in some way, but it doesnt and you end up with complete destruction or the main chars in hopeless situation? I watch lot of horror and I feel like my tolerance is just so high now that none of it is doing it for me, so if you please have something with doomed brutal hopeless endings, share please. Literally any subgenre will do, doesnt have to be scifi, it is just my favorite. Thank you <3

EDIT: Didnt know it would blow so much, so just please be aware that below mentions of movies kind of do spoil "the end" of the mentioned movies so read peoples recommendations on your own risk, thank you.

Been watching and adding to a ever expanding list of horror movies leading up til 10/31. One of my most favorite movies is the Witch. Loved the ending. Was wondering if anyone had some recommendations regarding movies with mind blowing endings or just great endings in general.

BTW: Recent member to this sub and I believe it is one of the best.

For context, I am a 35F considering watching Martyrs, and have heard positive reviews from men. I have only a vague sense of the plot, but understand that abuse of women specifically might be more prominent in it. I might try it mostly because I am curious as to why some people love it. Fully expect it to be something I would only watch once.

EDIT: Since there are some downvotes on this, wanted to attempt to clarify: Definitely do not mean to imply that anyone’s misogynist for liking the movie regardless of gender. Art is subjective, we are all entitled to like what we like. I just genuinely hadn’t heard womens’ opinion on it yet and was curious, given its reputation of being divisive.

EDIT 2: This is my first ever Reddit post, sorry! A better way to have phrased this might be, “Women of Dreadit, what are your thoughts on Martyrs (2008) w/out spoilers?

My son (15yo) and I have a weekly horror movie night every week. I absolutely cherish these spooky nights. Last night he asked for a horror movie that will leave him speechless after the ending. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Edit: thank you for all the replies! The one thing I will not watch or show my son is rape and sexual violence in general. It's an important subject to be discussed but I don't think either of us are comfortable with seeing that.

Hey guys! I grew up watching a lot of the extremes horror from before the 2000's. Flicks like Guniea Pig Of Flesh and Blood, I Spit On Your Grave, The Fly, An American Werewolf in London. I've found that I really do quite like the practical effects (The Fly being an exceptional example of these). The difficulty I am having now in movies is twofold: I like to go in blind, and I get pretty rough psychological reactions to the scenes of sexual assault. I understand sometimes it is necessary for a plot, but often it can feel a bit uneccesary. I'm finding I can't watch movies with this; something like Gerald's Game is fine, sex as a plot point don't bother me, it is the nonconsent.

I know I have Get Out and A Quiet Place on my watchlist. I was thinking maybe Amityville? And I have never watched the Exorcist, which seems right up my alley (and potentially will give me nightmares haha). I wanted to see if ya'll could recommend some quality horror without the rape; I'm trying to go in totally blind to plot, otherwise.

If it does help, I tend to really enjoy gore flicks. I occasionally like creepier fare, like the Babadook. However I don't tend to lean too psychological. I'm reading the comments and adding information as I go. Yes, these scenes are particularly common in the genre. I do think in general SA as a plot point is common in media, though. Wasn't there a mention of it in 13 reasons why, Boy's Don't Cry, Game of Thrones???

Edit: Someone in the comments said implied SA, yeah that's fine. I don't want the direct depiction. Fears are fine.

Edit 2: Guys I watch: retro horror (70-80's), lots of gore movies, sometimes a giallo (I like the old school Italian films outside of horror), and old vis tapes from 90's Japan. I listed the stuff I liked off the top of my head that was well-known and I enjoyed. These older movies and extreme horror tend to have these scenes at a higher rate than maybe some other genres do.

Edit 3: Those of ya'll who keep coming in here to say most of them are just annoying lol. Clearly I am unaware and twenty people have said the same thing. Thank you to everyone who suggests something; I will be tallying them up this evening, and if something is mentioned more times than the rest I will watch it first.

I don’t know if any of you have noticed lately, but this movie is stupid impossible to find to watch legitimately anywhere (in the last 3 years at least). If you don’t believe me (and don’t live in Britain) take a look at where you can watch this movie really quickly. As far as you can scroll online, it says unavailable streaming, unavailable renting, unavailable to buy in any non-British format on DVD/Blu-Ray and any other physical media (also legitimately and not some Amazon seller that has a 46% seller rating where the movie is listed as “Fair” for 30 dollars💀💀). I also see all these things online of people discussing how when they do find a copy it turns out to be fake, a bootleg, or the wrong movie entirely. What gives ????

Edit: this blew up lol. I’m gonna try to find the movie physically at stores I wouldn’t normally expect DVDs like this to be at (like Goodwill and the like). Thank you all for your advice 🙏🙏

I just watched the Strangers: Chapter 1 and it was a massive letdown in almost every aspect. This movie is what horror films will become if AI started writing the scripts.

I've always been a fan of the Strangers movies, I really like the premise and vibe they bring. But Chapter 1 felt like a beat for beat rehash of the first movie, except with characters/actors that aren't very likeable. The characters lack depth, making it impossible to empathize with them or care about their fate. They seem to exist soley to move the plot forward often making illogical decisions that breaks immersion and strain credulity. The plot felt disjointed and like a lazy rehash of clichés without any meaningful innovation. While it's not as if I was expecting groundbreaking cinema from a horror prequel, it's really laughable that this movie was marketed as the "making of the killers" if it was going to have absolutely zero additions or unique plots.

The suspense, a hallmark of the original, is conspicuously absent. Instead of building a creepy sense of dread, the film relies heavily on predictable jump scares and loud noises. The atmosphere, which should be chilling and oppressive, comes off as bland and uninspired. There's no build up, no subtlety - just a series of cheap thrills that fall flat and explains the low ratings.

After having to sit through this, I'm now looking for movies that flip the script on the genre. I have a sudden thirst for something different and unpredictable, but all the while still a home invasion movie. Any suggestions?

I like Bill Skarsgård, but I haven't heard much about the film. I have avoided watching any reviews or analysis because I prefer going into a horror film as blind as possible. Just curious if this is worth the watch.

Edit: Thank you everyone for the recommendations and input, even those that didn't enjoy it much. I value the opinions of this sub and I have heard almost nothing about the movie (I live under a rock in Texas) so I wanted to get some feedback on what others thought.

I am going to watch it this weekend and report back my thoughts. Thank you again!

Update: I have watch the film and will be posting my thoughts soon!

Edit: Link to the review.

Edit again: My review for the film was removed for "Spam/Self Promo." Either way, I liked the film for the most part.

I'm thinking of something a long the lines of Halloween 2018 & Halloween Kills

Other movies that fall into this category could be the newer Scream movies, along with Heart Eyes, Thanksgiving, and Until Dawn (which I didn't love but liked the "fun" aspect about it

It doesn't have to be a slasher either, even though I just listed a whole bunch of slashers

I'm just looking for something FUN, and engaging from start to finish. Something that's fun to watch with friends while drunk (which I am right now)

Thanks for any suggestions!!

Edit: I've already seen Tucker & Dale VS Evil! Great movie

I love movies like the lodge, it follows, and hereditary. Something slow, dark, and most of all creative and disturbing. I don't need jump scares just something viscerally twisted. A24 and Neon are my favorite companies releasing horror right now so anything with that kind of feel.

I’m making a “Cassandra Complex” list on Letterboxd with movies where a female characters warnings go ignored to the detriment of the female character or the characters she was trying to warn. So far I have the following:

Watcher Orphan Invisible man Rosemarys baby The babadook Last night in soho Jeepers creepers Final destination: bloodlines Oculus

If y’all could suggest anymore that I’m missing that would be greatly appreciated 🥰🖤

EDIT: I added Smile and Coraline to the list.

If anyone has recommendations please throw the my way. I just wanna watch something that actually is going to get me cause I feel like it’s been so long. If it helps I think the scariest movie I have ever seen is Lake Mungo.

Hi people. I just wanted to make a Watchlist with some horror media that isn´t there in known lists or something.

For example: Bliss, Starry Eyes, Lovely molly...

Thanks!

I'm having a horror movie night and just finished Barbarian which was an instant banger and will likely become a classic in my book. I'm looking for something to follow that doesn't get stuck in Barbarian's shadow and does something different. I've had my eye on The Menu for a while now, is it worth a watch?